Sony delivers fewer smartphones, TVs, cameras and PlayStation consoles

Sony delivered fewer smartphones, TVs, cameras and consoles in the last three months of 2018 than in the same period a year earlier. Good results from the Music business unit resulted in higher profits.

Sony’s quarterly figures show that deliveries in all product groups are declining. In the business unit that includes the Xperia smartphones, this resulted in a much lower turnover. Sony delivered 1.8 million smartphones in the quarter, up from 4 million a year earlier.

Sony shipped 8.1 million PlayStation 4 consoles in the quarter. That was 9 million a year earlier. Although the number of consoles is declining, Sony achieved more sales from the games division. That may indicate that more PlayStation 4 Pro consoles have been sold, but Sony is not giving any details. Income from PlayStation Plus subscriptions also falls under this division.

Sony’s Imaging division achieved slightly higher sales, despite fewer cameras being delivered. This is probably due to the shift to more expensive models. Sony delivered 1.1 million cameras, up from 1.4 million in the comparable quarter last year. Sony also delivered fewer TVs, 3.8 million units compared to 4.2 million a year earlier.

The financial results for the quarter are positive as Sony made much more profit with its Music division. Turnover in this department was slightly lower, but profits tripled. Quarterly sales of all business units combined amounted to 2.4 trillion yen, equivalent to approximately 19 billion euros. Operating income for the quarter was 377 billion yen, 7 percent more than last year and about 3 billion euros.

Financial results by business unit